TIP: CMS Updates Nursing Home Care Compare Staffing and Quality Measures

In a Quality, Safety, and Oversight (QSO) memo released on Sept. 20, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stated they will update the staffing level case-mix adjustment methodology and replace some of the Quality Measures (QMs) used on Nursing Home Care Compare in order to accommodate changes …

NHSN Up-to-Date Vaccination Status for HCP COVID-19 Reporting: Surveillance Definition Change for Nursing Homes Webinar 9/25 and 10/2

The NHSN Vaccination Team will be hosting multiple webinars to review important changes to the surveillance definition of Up to Date with COVID-19 vaccines for long-term care facilities reporting vaccination data and RIFC Pathway data through the NHSN Vaccination and COVID-19 Modules. Key Points: Webinar Dates and Registration:   Topic: Up to …

Five-Star Technical User’s Guide Plus Claims-Based Measures Appendix (Updated)

CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The Nursing Home Compare Web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered …

MDS 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual V 16.0 Effective Oct. 1, 2023

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual V16.0 is now available. The MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual V16.0 contains detailed specifications for the MDS 3.0 quality measures and includes a Notable Changes section that summarizes the major changes from MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual V15.0. Major …

CDC NHSN LTCF Weekly Healthcare Personnel (HCP) & Resident COVID-19 Vaccination Module Page UPDATED

Weekly health care personnel (HCP) & Resident COVID-19 Vaccination Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting Long-term care facilities can track weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and healthcare personnel (HCP) through NHSN. September 2023 Updates Resources Updated NHSN Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Dictionary: September 2023 [XLS – 74 KB] COVID-19 Vaccination Modules: …

Oct. 1, 2023 Will See Performance Period Data Collection for Five SNF VBP QMs

The key takeaway of the Fiscal Year (FY 2024) Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule, published on Aug. 7, 2023, is that the director of nursing services (DNS) will need to hit the ground running on Oct. 1, 2023, with a systematic, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approach …

SNFRM: Technical Specifications for This SNF VBP Measure

2023 Measure Updates and Specifications Report Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure –Version 2.0 This report describes updates that have been made to the Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-CauseReadmission Measure (SNFRM) used in the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program during annualreevaluation. The report …

Coming Soon: 2023 CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to Be Released Next Month

Next month, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will release two new Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers in the Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) settings: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity …

SNF QRP FAQs for FY 2024

An update to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the finalized policies for the SNF QRP in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and includes other useful resources available to providers. From https://www.cms.gov/files/document/fy2024-snf-qrp-faqs.pdf

FY 2024 SNF PPS Final Rule Initial Timeline for NACs: How/When the MDS Takes Center-Stage

Breathing room will be in short supply for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team members who need to implement and monitor the multitude of changes to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) and the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program (SNF VBP) that are in …